PLUS ONE ENGLISH MARCH 2015

(Question.1 to 3): Read the following excerpt from the story, ‘His First Flight’ and
answer the questions that follow.
He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer and then
maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish with a loud scream; he fell outwards and
downwards into space. His mother had swooped upwards. As he passed beneath
her, he heard the swish of her wings.

Question 1.
Who is‘she’referred to here? (1)

Question 2.
What prompted the young seagull to fly finally? (2)

Question 3.
Write a paragraph about the role of parents in helping children to attain their goal. (3)

Question 4.
A group of foreigners from France visit your locality. They intend to visit a few tourist
destinations in our state. Prepare a short write-up about one or two famous tourist
centers in your district.
[Hints : Name -location – major attractions – how to reach there] (4)

Question 5.
Fill in the blanks in the following passage choosing the right words given in the box.
Similarly, in accordance, Moreover, Therefore
In developing countries, only 30% of the buildings are constructed …..(a) with the
regulations laid down for ensuring safety and security….(b) the lack of a master plan
and the inferior quality of materials used for construction also aggravate the
casualties arising out of disasters ……….(c)….., both private and public buildings
should
be constructed according to the guidelines prescribed by law ….(d)…., constructions
should strictly adhere to the master plan approved by the authorities. (4)

Question 6.
Your school is conducting a debate on the topic, “Do the social networking sites
intrude into ones privacy?” Prepare four arguments in favour of this topic. (4)

(Question 7 to 11): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga, developed in India thousands of years ago. Yoga has become an increasingly
popular form of exercise all over the world. While there are hundreds of different
types of schools of yoga which typically comprise of breathing exercises, meditation
and assuming postures that stretch and flex various muscle groups, the main
purpose of yoga is to create strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and
body.

Some of the physical benefits of yoga include increased flexibility, muscle strength,
improved respiration, energy and vitality, weight reduction, cardio-circulatory health
and maintenance of a balanced metabolism. Yoga has a remarkable effect on over
mental well-being too. Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness,
increases body awareness, relieves chronic stress patterns, relaxes the mind,
centers attention and makes deep-rooted concentration. It is a great way to get in
tune with one’s body and inner self.

Choose the right option from the following:

Question 7.
The term,‘harmony’means in the passage. (1)
a) happiness
b) musical note
c) agreement
d) complete

Question 8.
The word,‘vitality’means (1)
a) important
b) vigour
c) life
d) speciality

Question 9.
What is the main purpose of yoga? (2)

Question 10.
Mention two important benefits of yoga. (2)

Question 11.
Read the previous essay on ‘Benefits of Yoga and write a precise reducing the
passage to its 1/3rd length. (4)

Question 12.
Imagine that you are a tourist guide working with the tourism department of Fiji.
Make an introductory speech to a group of tourists from Europe to welcome them to
Namuana (3)
(Question. 13 to 14): The following lines are taken from the poem, ‘Death, The
Leveller’. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.

Your heads must come

To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.

Question 13.
What does the expression, cold tomb’ mean here?

Question 14.
Elaborate on the idea of the above lines.

Question 15.
Captain Jovis was interviewed by a news reporter before the take off of Le-Horla.
There are the few questions that the reporter puts forth. Read the questions and
prepare the likely responses. Reporter Captain Jovis Reporter Captain Jovis
Reporter Captain Jovis Reporter Captain Jovis
Reporter : Sir, this is your first experience in a hot air balloon.
How do you feel?.
Captain Jovis : Yes, I am really excited as well as nervous.
Reporter : Will you please introduce your supporting crew?
Captain Jovis : 1) …………..
Reporter : What all are the arrangements made for the flight?
Captain Jovis : 2) ………….
Reporter : ¡s guiding a balloon an easy task?
Captain Jovis : 3)…………….

Question 16.
Complete the following report using the correct form of the verbs given in the
brackets.
ABCD Higher Secondary School ……….(a) ………(celebrate) Gandhi Jayanthi on
2nd October, 2014. The school principal
……….(b) …………. (welcome) the gathering. The meeting …..(c)……….(preside)
over by the RT.A. president and the local freedom
fighter, Appu Asan …(d)………..(inaugurate) the function. (4)
Answer:
(a) celebrated
(b) welcomed
(c) was presided
(d) inaugurated

Question 17.
Silence – a vision of the Serang’s nobility rising before me.
“Yes in a way it was a cage But isn’t it queer, Miss Jope Smith,
the animals were all outside”.
What trait of Serang’s character is evident here?
Sketch the character of Hassan in a short paragraph. (4)

Question 18.
I approached the mothers bedside. The ring was in my hand. Wishing her a good
morning I said, ‘Mrs. Clifford, your son is alive. He is Well’. (4)
Do you think, it was proper on the part of Mr. Gupta to tell a lie about Frank to Mrs.
Clifford? Justify your answer in a paragraph. (5)
OR
‘What kind of a country is India, Sir?’ asked Mrs. Clifford, as she resumed her
cooking.
What impression of India is created by Mr. Gupta in the mind of Mrs. Clifford?

Question 19.
The following information is about the famous person, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Prepare
a profile of him.
Birth : 15lh October, 1931, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
Education : Specialized in Aeroengineering from Madras Institute of
Technology.
Career : Joined DRDO in 1958 and ISRO in 1963.
Was Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt, of India.
Scientific Advisor to Defence Ministry. 11th President of india (2002-2007).
Awards : Padmabhushan in 1981 ,Padmavibhushan in 1990, Bharat Ratna in 1997
(5)

Question 20.
William Wordsworth in his poem, “To Sleep” invites sleep to come and bless
him. He finds it is too difficult to sleep peacefully. So he calls a psychiatrist over the
phone. Prepare a telephonic conversation between Wordsworth and the doctor. (4)

Question 21.
Imagine that you got an opportunity to visit Wayanad. Write a travel essay describing
your experience. The essay should include a description of the physical features of
the area, the practical issues related to the travel and your experiences and personal
impressions. (6)
OR
In the extract, ‘The Sacred Turtles of Kadavu’, you read about a Fijian ritual.
Write a short article on a ritual popular in your locality.

Question 22.
Narrate the beauty of Nicholai s estate from the point of view of lvanich. You may
begin thus : The fresh air from the gooseberry orchards can be felt here in this time
of early morning (6)
Question 23.
Read the poem given, below and write a note of appreciation.
Good Deeds by Sasikanth Nishanth Sarma
The World is a double-edged knife
And we have only one life Enjoy it, live it well.
In good company do dwell.
Always do good -deeds Sow in yourself character s seeds
Cultivate mind with manure of thought For ages, the experiences brought.
Feed your life with good deeds So that there is no place for weeds.
To harm, that oft leads
The decay of characters seeds
The one who wants to succeed
He must always heed
And must seek
The good qualities
And not the quantities
A wise man can only pleads
But you have to pay heed What are you needs?
Then decide what to do
And what not to do

Answers

Answer 1.
The young seagulls mother

Answer 2.
Hunger prompted the young seagull to fly.

Answer 3.
It is the responsibility of parents to help their children attain their goal. As children
you may not always take things seriously. Some times the parents will scold their
children; sometime they may deny their demands, etc. though it may be thought as
cruelty from their part, they do such things out of love for their children. They are
always concerned about their childrens future.

Answer 4.
Thusharagiri is a beautiful spot which tourists must visit. Its location is in the western
Ghats, below the Wayanadan hills. It is 55 kilometres away from Kozhikode city
.There are roads leading to Thusharagiri from Kozhikode, Kappad beach and
Wayand. The attractions of Thusharagiri are the three waterfalls, the Thanni
Muthassi and the panoramic beauty of the Waynadan forests. Tourists can bath in
the cool and pure water. For those who want to enjoy trekking, there is the facility,
accompanied by guides. Good food also is available there.
Answer 5.
(a) in accordance with
(b) similarly
(c) therefore
(d) moreover

Answer 6.
Social networking sites intrude into one’s privacy in several ways :

1. Social networking sites give vulgar and explicit sex material.Young

people are naturally curious about such things.
2. Students often copy materials as they are from social networking sites
for their assignments and projects.
3. Continuous use of such sites will make people addict to them, and this
will prevent them from doing their duties.
4. Accepting requests from unknown people on the site can have serious
consequences.

Answer 7.
c) agreement

Answer 8.
b) vigour

Answer 9.
The main purpose of yoga is to create strength, awareness and harmony in both the
mind and body.

Answer 10.
Yoga makes people physically strong.
Yoga gives deep-rooted concentration of the mind.

Answer 11.
Yoga has become a popular form of exercise. The main purpose of yoga is to create
strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body. Yoga has many
physical benefits. It increases vitality and reduces illnesses. Yoga refreshes the mind
and gives it deep-rooted concentration.

Answer 12.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are welcome to this beautiful island. I am guide
Fernandex. I wish you all a nice time here. Fiji is a multi- cultured island nation,
having the cultural tradition of the people of Oceanic, European, South – Asian, and
East Asian origins. It consists of nearly 320 islands in the South West Pacific Ocean.
It is 3152 kms away from Sydney, Australia. Nearly a hundred of these islands are
inhabited. You can enjoy the little ports and beautiful sea-coasts. You can enjoy boat
journeys and also tasty dishes of various kinds of fish. So ladies and gentlemen, let
us enjoy ourselves.

Answer 13.
Death

Answer 14.
This is a poem on death. Every one will have to face death at the end. All the earthly
joys and achievements will end with death. What will remain are the good actions of
the virtuous people. Their fragrance will spread across and will bear fruit for ever.

Answer 15.

1. Well, this is Lieutenant Mallet, this is M.Etierine Beer, and this is M.Paul
Bessant and this is Guy de Maupassant.
2. The basket for the traveller to sit in was attached to the balloon and
barometers were brought. The two trumpets, the eatables, the overcoats
and raincoats and all the small articles that could go with the men in the
flying basket were arranged.
3. Guiding the balloon is not an easy task. Winds and storms may change
its course.

Answer 16.
(a) celebrated
(b) welcomed
(c) was presided
(d) inaugurated

Answer 17.
The serang’s courage is evident here. Hassan was the serang on Ranaganji. He was
not good looking and he did not have a laughed at him. But he was courageous and
serviceable. When two sailors contracted smallpox, he volunteered to make a
special enclosure in the ship and looked after them.
More people became victims of this deadly disease. He looked after all of them and
helped Dr. Cronin in their treatment. When two of them died, he gave them fitting
burial in the sea. He being a Muslim Chanted words from the Ramayana as part of
the Hindu ritual. Hassan possessed great qualities like courage service-mindedness
and religious tolerance. He promised himself to be a self -sacrificing and unselfish
young man. Such people are very rare in this world.

Answer 18.
Mrs. Clifford was seriously ill. Her illness aggravated due to her worries about her
son. When Maggie requested Mr. Gupta to look into the crystal ring and tell her
mother that her son Frank was alive and well even if he saw nothing in the crystal
wing, he obliged her. Gupta had no faith in it. He knew it was a superstition. Even
then he did it in order to console a sick mother. The words of Mr. Gupta made her
recover from her illness. Though it was a lie, it was an innocent he, and it cured the
woman’s illness. So it was proper on the part of Mr. Gupta. The recovery of Mrs.
Clifford justified Mr. Gupta’s action and words.
OR
Mr. Gupta described to Mrs. Clifford that India was a beautiful country. It is not cold
like England, but some what hot. Of course, there are tigers and snakes in India, but
they live in the jungles. If they came to places where people live, they would be
killed. There are fevers in some places in india. But they differ with places and
seasons. This impression of India given by Mr. Gupta removed from her the fear she
had about her son’s living conditions in India.

Answer 19.
Dr. API Abdul Kalam
Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October,1931, at Rameswaran in Tamil Nadu.
After his school education he joined Madras Institute of Technology and specialized
in Aero engineering. He started his professional career in DRDO in 1958 and in
ISRO in 1963. Later he became Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of
India. Then he was appointed as scientific advisor to the Defence Ministry. He was
elected the eleventh President of India and remained in that post from 2002 to 2007.
He was awarded the Padmabhushan in 1981 the Padmavibhushan in 1990 and the
Bharat Ratna in 1997.

Answer 20.
Wordsworth : good morning Dr. Smith. I am William Wordsworth. I want your help,
doctor.
Dr. Smith : good morning,Mr.Wordsworth what help can I do for you?
Wordsworth : It is something related to your profession.
Dr. Smith : come on, tell me your problem.
Wordsworth : for the last three nights I did not get any sleep at all. When I lie in bed
various thoughts come to my mind. I see flocks
of sheep leisurely passing one after the other, I hear humming of bees and the
sounds of the rain. I also hear the fall of rivers, winds and seas.
Dr. Smith: There is nothing to be afraid Mr. Wordsworth you see such things in
imagination because you are too much preoccupied with nature and its objects and
phenomena.
Wordsworth : It may be so. But what am to do without sleep? I cannot enjoy the
beauty of the morning unless I sleep. I expected to get some sleep Last night, which
was my third sleepless night.
Dr. Smith : You send someone to me. I shall give some tablets. You take one tablet
each before you go to sleep for three days. Then,
give mean call. If you get sleep, you can discontinue the medicine.
Wordsworth : 1 shall send someone now itself you. doctor.
Dr. Smith : It’s my duty.

Answer 21.
My Visit to Wavanad
Wayanad is a green, beautiful piece of land that lies on the north-east borders of
Kerala. It is about sixty kiolmeters from Kozhikode. The Kerala- Karnataka highway
takes us to Wayanad. The panoramic beauty of the Thamar- assery Ghats provides
a feast to the eyes. Thamar- assery Ghats is a hilly highway with nine hairpin curves
from Adivaram to Lakkidi. It is known as the Tharachuram. At Lakkidi there is
beautiful lake where you can enjoy boat journey. On the way to Lakkidi on either side
of the road we can see monkeys sitting in rows as if they are there to welcome the
tourists.

They sit there hoping to get eatables like nuts, fruits, etc. The forests around are rich
in wild life-elephants, tigers and such other animals are found in plenty. Cash crops
such as tea, coffee and pepper are grown here. Paddy also is cultivated. There is a
jain temple which is constructed fully in glass. There is also the Thirunelli temple and
river which are considered as holy. On the whole, we enjoyed our visit to Wayanad.
OR
The celebration of Onam is based on a legend. Malayalees believe that once upon a
time there lived a king in Kerala, named Mahabali. He was a just king and during his
rule all people were equal. There was no cheating, no exploitation, and no
corruption. All the people were prosperous and happy. But some of the gods became
jealous of him. They wanted to overthrow Mahabali. Va mana, one of the gods, came
in the form of a poor asectic. He begged three feet of land from Mahabali. He being
very kind obliged him and gave him permission to measure the land he had asked
for. Vamana began to grow in size and became as tall as the sky.

The god measured two feet and the whole land was over. He asked Mahabali where
he would have his third foot of land. The good king bent his head and told him to
measure it on his head. The cruel Vamana put his foot on Mahabalis head and he
was pushed into the underworld. While going into the underworld Mahabali asked
one favour from Vamana, namely, he should be permitted to visit his subjects in
Kerala once a year. It was granted and Malayalees celebrate Onam as the day on
which Mahabali visits his people. Onam is celebrated as the national festival of
Kerala. Flower carpets are arranged infront of every house. Sumptuous meals are
prepared in every house. Boat races, tiger dances and such other entertainments
are organized during the Onam season.

Answer 22.
The fresh air from the gooseberry orchards can be felt here in this time of early
morning. Nicholai called his estate Tchimbarshove Corner, or Himalayskoe. It was
full of ditches, fence, hedges, row of young fir-trees, trees everywhere, and it was
difficult to cross the yard or where to put your horse. Ivanich went to the house and
was met by a red-haired dog, as fat as a pig. He tried to bark but felt too lazy. Out of
the kitchen came out the cook who was also as fat as a pig. It was an estate with
there hundred areas of land with a farm house, a cottage, and a park, but there was
no orchard. Nicholai ordered twenty gooseberry bushes and setded down to a
country life. Ivanich was happy to find his brother contented in life.

Answer 23.
Good Deeds – Sasikanth Nishatith Sarma.
As the title of the poem suggests, the poem is about the good deeds that we do and
the good results they produce. The world is a mixture of happiness and sorrow. The
poet reminds the readers that there is only one life and it should be enjoyed. At the
same time we should take care to keep company with good people. We should saw
the seeds of virtues and cultivate the mind with healthy thoughts obtained from the
experiences for ages. Keep on doing good deeds so that you do not have time to do
bad things.

If you do any harm to anyone, it will be a blemish on your character. One, who wants
to succeed in life, must always pay attention to acquire good qualities. It is not the
quantity but the quality that matters. A wise man can only give advice. But it is you
who should know what yours needs are. Then you decide what to do and what not to
do.It is a moral poem written in twenty two lines. The poem is written in rhyming
couplets. Every two lines rhyme. Knife/ life, well/dwell are examples. The poem is
written in simple language.